In late July, I had the honor of speaking at Mosaic Fellowship, a beautiful Christian community in the heart of Spokane. When I finished speaking, I was in for a surprise. The entire congregation sang the “Blessing,” a beautiful hymn based on the priestly blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you, and give you peace.” This song was not just for me, but also for all of my friends and family in Israel. It was deeply moving—an expression of love from a Christian community for the people of Israel. It was a moment I will never forget.
I recalled this beautiful moment as I studied a verse in Isaiah:
When God comforts the people of Israel for their suffering, He uses the word “I” (Anochi) twice. What is the meaning of this repetition?
The sages explain it with a parable: “This can be compared to a king who became angry at his queen and banished her from his palace. After some time, the king wanted to bring her back. However, she proclaimed, ‘Let the king double the amount [promised to me] in my marriage contract, and then he can bring me back.’ Similarly, God said to the people of Israel: ‘At Sinai, I said the word Anochi to you once, in the verse, ‘I (Anochi) am the Lord your God.’ But when you return to Jerusalem at the end of days after generations of exile, I will say Anochi to you twice. ‘I, I (Anochi, Anochi) am He who comforts you!’”
What is the meaning of this parable? What lesson does it offer us?
In Deuteronomy 22, the Bible addresses a situation where a man slanders his new wife by publicly claiming she was not a virgin when they married. If her innocence is later proven and the man is exposed as a slanderer, he is required to double her marriage contract. Additionally, “he shall never have the right to divorce her” (Deuteronomy 22:19).
In the sages’ parable, the queen suffered in two ways. Not only was she banished from the palace, but her banishment led everyone to believe she had been unfaithful. Thus, when the king wished to reconcile with her, the queen demanded that her marriage contract be doubled—just as the Bible commands a slandering husband to compensate his wife for falsely accusing her of infidelity.
When God exiled the people of Israel and scattered them across the world after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, they suffered in two ways. First, they were banished from the holy land and exiled to foreign lands far from their home. But they also suffered another way. When God sent Israel into exile, the nations of the world—led by the Catholic Church—naturally concluded that God had rejected Israel due to their supposed “infidelity” and sin. They slandered the Jewish people by calling them the “rejected ones” of God. This slander was even more painful than the physical suffering of exile.
John Chrysostom (347–407), archbishop of Constantinople, asserted confidently that God would never bring the people of Israel back to Jerusalem. He believed that the Jews had sinned by not accepting Christianity and thus, “God’s rejection [of the people of Israel] is complete.” Chrysostom reasoned that it had been hundreds of years since the Jews were exiled, so clearly, God had no intention of restoring them. He wrote: “Suppose a mere ten, twenty, thirty, or fifty years were to have passed since the capture of Jerusalem… But not only fifty years but many more than one, two, or three centuries have passed since Jerusalem was captured. And never has there been seen a single trace or shadow of the change for which you are waiting. Why, then, are you so rash and foolish as to keep up your shameless objections? The Jerusalem Temple will never be restored” (John Chrysostom, Against the Jews, Homily 5).
When the people of Israel miraculously returned to the holy land in fulfillment of prophecy and established the modern State of Israel in 1948, the slander of John Chrysostom was unequivocally refuted. The “king,” God, brought His “queen,” the people of Israel, back home to His “palace,” the land of Israel. It was proven once and for all that God had never rejected the people of Israel. His love for Israel is eternal!
In the sages’ parable, the queen agreed to return to the palace only if the king doubled her marriage contract. Now that the people of Israel, God’s queen, are returning to the “palace” of the holy land, how will God “compensate” Israel for two thousand years of exile, suffering, and slander?
First and foremost, God will never again exile His people, as the verse in Deuteronomy states, “he shall never have the right to divorce her.” No matter how hard their enemies try to uproot them, the Jewish people will never again be exiled from the land. Secondly, I believe that God will also “compensate” Israel by transforming the Church and Christians worldwide from enemies into friends and by replacing the Church’s slander of Israel with praise.
This “compensation” of the Jewish people has already begun. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, millions of Protestants and Catholics worldwide have not only rejected John Chrysostom’s views but now actively support Israel and celebrate its unique role as God’s chosen nation.
Who could bring about such a change—one our grandparents could never have imagined? Only God Himself.
“I, I am He who comforts you!”
If you’re inspired by the power of communal prayer, don’t miss out on our vibrant WhatsApp prayer group for Israel! Rabbi Rami Goldberg posts daily videos and pictures of life in Israel, with thought-provoking and inspiring reflections for prayer. This group is the perfect way to feel connected to Israel through daily prayer. Let’s unite in support of Israel. Join our daily prayers here.
